South East England Mystery Mustelid

[Richyboyo]

Whilst browsing through the British Newspaper Archive a few months ago I came across a story of a Mrs Paddick ( a pseudonym) who in the 1940s wrote a newspaper column for a W.Sussex newspaper. in one column she mentions the "kame" or "cane" or "kime" like a weasel or stoat without the black tip on its tail. That is pretty much all I know,except she also mentions another cryptid called the "high-pig". This mystery mustelid was also then present in Kent and Hampshire. If anyone wants to know more I can try and help.Or does anyone know more?

 

[markrkingston1]

Sounds interesting. I know no more. Do you have more information you can reasonably get?

Do all stoats and weasels have black tips to their tails? I can never remember which is what. If not, then it sounds like a minor variation that was perhaps carried by recessive genes. Kind of like the way that all grey squirrels (in the UK at least) are eventually going to be replaced by black squirrels.

As for the "high-pig" that sounds curious. Do you have any more info on it? Asking the Duck for "high-pig" returns hits on high pings in games!

 

[Coal]

Whilst browsing through the British Newspaper Archive a few months ago I came across a story of a Mrs Paddick ( a pseudonym) who in the 1940s wrote a newspaper column for a W.Sussex newspaper. in one column she mentions the "kame" or "cane" or "kime" like a weasel or stoat without the black tip on its tail. That is pretty much all I know,except she also mentions another cryptid called the "high-pig". This mystery mustelid was also then present in Kent and Hampshire. If anyone wants to know more I can try and help.Or does anyone know more?

Polecat?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_polecat

 

[Min Bannister]

Stoats have a black tip on the tail but weasels don't so perhaps Mrs P just never could remember which?

 

[Richyboyo]

Sounds interesting. I know no more. Do you have more information you can reasonably get?

Do all stoats and weasels have black tips to their tails? I can never remember which is what. If not, then it sounds like a minor variation that was perhaps carried by recessive genes. Kind of like the way that all grey squirrels (in the UK at least) are eventually going to be replaced by black squirrels.

As for the "high-pig" that sounds curious. Do you have any more info on it? Asking the Duck for "high-pig" returns hits on high pings in games! [/QUOTE
What I am going to do is,when I have enough money,contact the Sussex Record Office and pay for the complete index to Mrs Paddick`s newspaper articles,which I know they have.Or if you live near a decent library that has free access to the British Newspaper Library (as my library has) ,just type in "Mrs Paddick" or "kime" and you should be able to find what I found

 

[markrkingston1]

Or if you live near a decent library that has free access to the British Newspaper Library (as my library has) ,just type in "Mrs Paddick" or "kime" and you should be able to find what I found

Thanks. Requires time which I rarely have but will bear it in mind.

 

[Richyboyo]

I also report in the next issue of my own magazine `Flying Snake` a story from the 1980s of a road killed pine marten near Warrington,Cheshire,of all places which I found on the Pigeon Watch (online) Forum

 

[maximus otter]

The only country name l’ve ever heard for a pine marten was “half-fox”.

When you see one up close, you realise that it’s quite apt.

maximus otter

 

[Richyboyo]

Thanks Maximus otter, a very good book is The Smaller Mystery Carnivores of the Westcountry by Jonathan Downes